


Set Me Free

by Taliesin_niseilaT, TheRedThread



Series: Allenbert Through The Ages [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Dirty Talk, Doctor Julian, Explicit Sexual Content, Historical, M/M, Pirate Barry, Romance, Rough Sex, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-10-19 15:08:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10642386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taliesin_niseilaT/pseuds/Taliesin_niseilaT, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRedThread/pseuds/TheRedThread
Summary: Early in the eighteenth century, Julian Albert is captured by pirates and it’s all downhill from there. At least until he meets the charismatic pirate captain Barry Allen...





	

**Author's Note:**

> Main story mine, additional text by TheRedThread.

**_set me free_ **

 

_1713, English Channel_

 

It is sheer stupid coincidence, the way Julian Albert ends up on Barry Allen’s ship. Sure, it’s a well-known fact that these waters are pirate-infested, but he’s got to get home somehow and passage on _HMS South End_ is supposed to be expensive but safe. Captain Allen of the pirate vessel _The Flash_ has a reputation. Brilliant strategist in the navy, went off the rails and proved to be an absolutely ruthless leader. Nobody can walk away unharmed from a sword fight with him, and he will only take on the best fighters and smartest men for his crew.

 

In other words, his flag isn’t one you want to see when your ship is being looted just before dusk. Especially not when you’re dressed in silk and velvet and generally appear to be well-off.

 

They haven’t killed anyone, but some of the ship’s crew is badly wounded and the pirates get away with most of the food and cargo on board. One of the men singles Julian out, grabs him in spite of his protests and attempts to fight, and ties his hands behind his back before taking him to the pirate ship.

 

And then he’s standing on the wooden deck of the ship, surrounded by a rag-tag band of pirates crowding him, breathing down his neck, wondering what to do with him.

‘Kill him,’ one of the men snarls. He’s big and bearded, dressed in a dirty uniform, looks like he used to be in the navy. Julian jerks in the grip of the man who’s holding him still.

‘Posh boy. Looks like trouble. I’m with Alex on this.’

‘We should probably wait. After all, the cap’n _loves_ pretty boys like this one.’ Julian looks at the young man who said that. His face seems kind underneath the wild look.

‘Yeah, you would know, Cisco,’ another man grumbles. ‘Fuck you, Hartley,’ Cisco replies sharply. The men begin to banter amongst themselves, though they never take their eyes off Julian.

 

The whole ship goes silent when the Captain finally appears on deck. ‘What’s going on here?’ he demands, his eyes resting on Julian. ‘We captured him, Captain. He looks rich,’ Cisco says. The Captain nods thoughtfully. ‘Take him to my hut.  I’ll interrogate him.’ Cisco grabs a tight hold of Julian’s arm and leads him belowdecks. ‘A word to the wise,’ he says, ‘If you cooperate, it’ll hurt less.’

‘What?’ Julian snaps, but Cisco has locked him up and disappeared. He barely has time to register the hut, richly furnished with red velvet curtains around the portholes and the bed, before the door swings open and Captain Allen comes in.

 

Julian can’t help but stare at the Captain. He’s nothing like the other pirates Julian has seen on board. _He looks clean, for a start._ Captain Allen is tall and lean, with brown hair and green eyes and a beautiful face fit for a prince. And he’s currently untying Julian with surprisingly gentle hands. ‘Hello,’ he says, ‘I must apologise for the rather rough welcome aboard.’

 

This is definitely not what Julian was expecting. ‘Hello,’ he says hesitantly. Allen stays close behind him, his breath ruffling Julian’s blond hair. ‘I usually don’t encourage my men to take prisoners,’ he states calmly.

‘Encourage them to kill instead?’ Julian snarls. Allen’s hands tighten on his wrists. ‘Be careful,’ he warns Julian in a low voice, ‘You might be in more trouble than you realise if you choose to behave like that.’ Allen lets go of Julian’s wrists and settles down in a plush red armchair. He doesn’t seem at all worried that Julian is loose and might attempt to fight. ‘What’s your name?’ Allen asks, gesturing for Julian to sit down on a hard-backed wooden chair opposite him. ‘Julian Albert.’

‘I’m Captain Barry Allen. You may have heard of me.’ He doesn’t wait for a reply, moves on to his next question immediately. ‘How old are you, Julian?’

‘Twenty-seven.’

‘Mm. Me too, actually. So, do you know why you’re here?’

‘No. Wrong place at the wrong time?’

Allen smiles. ‘In a way, yes. The ship you were on... What do you know about it?’

Julian shrugs. ‘The _South End_? It’s British, carries cargo and the occasional passenger. I took it in Calais to get home to England. It’s pretty luxurious.’ Allen nods. ‘True enough. Really the only problem with the _South End_ is... the captain.’

 

‘Captain Wells?’

‘Yes. _Captain_ Harrison Wells.’ Allen pronounces the name like it’s a dirty word. ‘Let’s say he and I are not the best of friends.’ Julian nods. ‘I hope this isn’t about ransom, because I don’t really know the captain. I just bought passage on his ship, I doubt he’ll care much for my life.’

‘No, I know. It’s not about money. I doubt it’ll be good for his reputation if a passenger is captured by pirates and never seen again.’ Julian swallows nervously. ‘So your plan is to make me disappear?’

 

Allen’s eyes are oddly soft. ‘Originally. Yes. That was the idea when I told my men to capture a passenger on the _South End._ ’ He pauses to study Julian carefully. ‘Now I’m not so sure.’ Julian’s smart enough not to make a clever comeback about going soft on him. The last thing he needs to do is to provoke a dangerous man just when he seems inclined to be lenient for whatever reason. _Count your blessings._

‘Why were you in France, Julian?’

‘I’m a physician. I travel to study new methods and medicine, when I have the time. I visited a colleague – a friend really, Doctor Snow.’ Allen seems impressed, even if he tries to hide it. ‘A doctor. Interesting.’ Julian smiles for the first time since he stepped on board of Allen’s boat.

 

‘Can I speak freely?’ Allen gestures for him to do so, pouring them both a glass of rum.

‘Being a pirate isn’t exactly the most noble way of living your life.’

Allen’s lips twitch. ‘Nobility is such a relative concept, don’t you think? Tell me, doctor, do you know any nobleman actually deserving of his title?’ Julian thinks about it briefly, but he’s got nothing. _Not in my family, certainly._ He doesn’t want to insult the other man’s intelligence by lying. ‘Not a single one, but in that case, laws and justice are also relative.’

‘Precisely.’

Julian frowns. ‘You’re obviously a smart man, so you must be aware that rules exist to maintain order, not to oppress us. The world would be in chaos without laws.’

‘Ah, you’re thinking in black and white again.’

‘I was reluctant too, when I was younger. But even I agree with the norms and rules now. You can’t possibly disregard all of them.’ Julian can’t tear his eyes away from Allen’s smirky mouth, not even when he says, ‘What makes you so sure of what a smart man should or shouldn’t know?’

 

Julian flushes and stammers at that, ‘Well, we both travel the world –’

‘Oh, we’re nothing alike. You haven’t seen half of what I’ve seen.’

‘For example? The endless expanse of water? Sea monsters?’

Allen gives him an amused look. ‘What you and I crave the most. Complete and infinite freedom.’ Julian shuts up and stares at Allen. _Am I that easy to read, or did I just stumble upon the single most perceptive pirate sailing the seven seas?_

‘All that pressure,’ Allen goes on, ‘Pressure to conform, pressure to please your family. It must be exhausting.’ Julian flinches at the knowing look Allen gives him, his fingers tightening around his glass. ‘So, what, you propose to free me by holding me hostage?’ Julian says derisively. Captain Allen’s serious stare is making him nervous. ‘Julian, you were wearing shackles long before you set foot on my ship.’

 

Allen shifts forward in his armchair, reaching out to take hold of Julian’s delicate wrists, his hands forming cuffs around them. ‘See, here’s the thing. Putting distance between you and them won’t allow you to break free. You’re still adhering to the rules they set for you, you can’t help it.’ He tightens his grip on Julian’s wrists briefly. ‘Only breaking the rules will set you free.’ He makes a show of slowly opening the cuffs to illustrate his point, Julian’s wrists now resting on his open palms. ‘It will be hard at first, but once you get started... True freedom. There’s nothing else like it.’

 

It isn’t fair, the way this man can stir the one feeling Julian swore to keep buried forever. _Hope._ ‘So you’re saying I should be able to do whatever I want?’ Julian’s eyes never leave Allen’s face. He looks so _young_ to be so weary of the world and have so little faith in humanity. Allen is wearing a smirk, doesn’t reply, just licks his lips slowly. Julian feels his cheeks heating up. ‘What about the consequences?’

Allen shrugs, his lips quirking. ‘What if they’re worth it?’

It’s the tiny stutter in Allen’s heartbeat under Julian’s fingers that encourages him to lean forward slowly, deliberately, and kiss the _captain of a pirate ship._ He must have lost his mind. He’s going to end up dead before the day is through. Or maybe not, because Allen’s – fuck it, _Barry’s_ hand comes up to grab at Julian’s neck to keep their mouths pressed together.

 

Their position is a little awkward at first, until Barry wraps an arm around Julian’s waist and hauls him forward. He pulls a bit too hard and Julian collapses heavily onto Barry’s chest, knocking the wind out of him. They both laugh and soon fix the situation so that Julian straddles his legs and is able to press Barry’s shoulders into the red armchair firmly while kissing him. _I’m pinning a pirate captain to the furniture in his own cabin. When did this happen?_ Barry’s clearly not going to settle for letting Julian take the lead, but he goes along with it for now, his tongue slipping into Julian’s mouth easily.

 

They kiss lazily for a good while, their hands slowly exploring each other’s bodies. Barry coaxes a drawn-out moan from Julian when he moves down to kiss his neck, pushing Julian’s dark green coat out of the way. The other man retaliates by undoing the buttons of Barry’s waistcoat. Once Barry manages to remove enough clothes to start mouthing at Julian’s shoulder, he makes to stand up. Julian goes with it, but the ship sways unexpectedly and he loses his balance for a moment. The Captain grabs his arm to steady him, never stopping his assault on Julian’s collarbone. ‘Forgot to bring your sea legs, doctor?’ and Julian feels drunk, drunk on Barry’s mouth, drunk on the sparkle in his eyes, drunk on the heady tension between them. High on the thrill of what’s happening now that he’s let go of his inhibitions for once, Julian grips the collar of Barry’s shirt tight and whispers, ‘Why don’t you give me a hand?’ He’s lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall so fast that all Julian can manage is a hearty fit of laughter before lips crash down on his, Barry kissing him deeply with a smile matching his own. The Captain tries to hitch Julian’s leg up and taking the hint, he wraps his legs around Barry’s waist and finds himself deliciously pressed inbetween the taller man and the wall, held up by strong arms and kissed _oh so thoroughly._

 

Barry almost tears at Julian’s clothes to get access to his skin as soon as possible. Julian’s just along for the ride by now, his head thrown back against the wall when Barry sucks a bruise into his throat, holding onto the Captain’s shoulders for dear life. Nobody’s ever touched him like this before, not even Geoffrey, who loved Julian more than anyone ever had. But that’s almost ten years ago and it feels like they were just children messing around. He certainly couldn’t have taken it then the way he does now. Barry is ruthless and confident and rough and Julian probably – _definitely_ shouldn’t like this as much as he does.

 

Barry sets him down on his feet and finds him rock hard when he palms the front of Julian’s breeches, smirking like he expected nothing less. He presses Julian against the wall with his entire body. ‘Your day took quite the turnaround, wouldn’t you say, doctor? From a boring voyage at sea to my arms in no time flat. And look at you. You’re _gagging_ for it.’

‘Please,’ Julian says, not bothering with denial, ‘Touch me.’ Barry pushes his leg inbetween Julian’s carefully and strokes both hands over his naked chest. ‘I am touching you,’ Barry says, ‘but it sounds like you need more.’

‘Yes yes yes,’ Julian chants when Barry finally pushes his coat and shirt all the way off and sets to work on Julian’s breeches.

 

Barry’s still almost completely dressed once he’s got Julian naked and pushes him in the direction of his desk. Julian can feel the red velvet of Barry’s clothes against his skin and it’s sinfully soft. ‘You dress well for a rogue,’ he says just to hear Barry laugh.

‘Oh, _fuck,’_ Julian mutters when Barry slowly, deliberately bends him over the desk.

‘Gladly,’ Barry says with a smirk. Julian’s eyes are wide and dark when he looks over his shoulder to watch Barry strip off, and finds himself unable to tear his gaze away from the three long, thin scars criss-crossing on the Captain’s abdomen. Barry notices, of course, and says, ‘Sword fight. I almost lost that day.’ He slides two fingers over Julian’s lips and tells him to suck on them. He does so happily, hissing when Barry pulls his hand away and reaches down between Julian’s legs. ‘Have you let anyone do this to you before?’ Barry breathes into his ear.

‘Yes,’ Julian chokes out, then admits, ‘Not recently. Don’t really get the chance often.’

 

Barry’s painstakingly careful, fingering him open with a delicacy a world away from his earlier rough treatment of Julian. It’s a contradiction Julian hopes he’ll never have to miss. _Wait, what? For fuck’s sake, don’t go around falling for the guy._ ‘Could you hand me that little bottle, please?’ Barry’s voice pulls him back to the present, to being bent over a desk with no clothes on and three fingers up his ass. ‘In the corner of the bookcase,’ Barry specifies, ‘Yes, that one.’ Julian glances at it briefly before passing it over. Some kind of oil. ‘Don’t want to hurt you,’ Barry whispers, ‘You’re sure, right?’ Julian nods. ‘Yes. I haven’t been this sure of anything since... I don’t even know.’

‘Alright then,’ Barry says, lining himself up and slowly pushing into Julian.

 

And _oh god it hurts._ It hurts, in spite of Barry’s gentle touch on his hips and the kisses on the back of his neck meant to distract him from the pain. Concerned at the sounds Julian makes, Barry stops moving and strokes one finger down his spine. ‘We don’t have to, if you’d rather not. There are other things we can do.’

‘No, I want to. I can take it. Just need to adjust a little.’ Julian breathes heavily, twists his head around and plants a messy kiss on Barry’s mouth. ‘I’m okay,’ he whispers.

 

Barry wraps an arm around Julian’s chest, his hand resting on a nipple. ‘I can feel your heartbeat,’ Barry says, his voice full of wonder. Julian huffs out a laugh. ‘Quite elevated, I expect.’

‘Mine too, doctor.’ Barry admires the way Julian’s hair glows softly in the candlelight. Julian grips the edge of Barry’s desk tight, bracing himself before saying, ‘You can try again.’ So Barry does, and this time there’s no need to hold back because Julian just _takes_ it beautifully, panting the Captain’s name and little encouragements. ‘Yes, yes, more. Barry, fuck.’

‘Oh god, I can’t believe how tight you are. Never imagined you’d let me fuck you when we met _an hour ago._ Such a slut for me.’ Julian shudders at Barry’s words, and moans deeply when he feels Barry’s fingers tangling in his hair, keeping a firm grip on his head.

 

‘Do your men know you like to fuck boys?’ Julian grinds out only to be rewarded by a particularly sharp thrust of Barry’s hips. ‘They certainly do,’ Barry grunts, a sweaty hand gripping Julian’s shoulder tightly, ‘And they’re too terrified to give me any shit about it. My reputation has its advantages.’

‘I’ll bet it does,’ Julian says, then reaches for his cock, trapped between his stomach and the desk, desperate for stimulation. Barry bats his hand away. ‘No,’ he says cruelly.

‘Ba- _rry!’_ Julian whines. Barry chuckles. ‘Patience, Julian. I have something else in mind. I’ll take care of you, I promise. But you’re gonna make me come first.’

‘God, you’re _evil,_ ’ Julian complains.

‘Of course I am, I’m a goddamn pirate. Shit, you feel so good.’

 

Barry takes his sweet time, driving Julian wild with little touches all over his body, his hands never staying still until they land on Julian’s hips. Barry digs his nails into Julian’s sharp hipbones as he comes, incoherently muttering endearments. Julian’s almost sure he heard ‘my darling’ in there somewhere, but he doesn’t get the time to think about that. Barry gently pulls him towards the bed and lays him down. ‘You’re doing so well for me,’ he whispers, moving his mouth down Julian’s chest. ‘You’ve earned your reward.’

‘What –’ Julian says, before Barry makes it quite obvious _what_ he’s doing, and Julian can only hold on tight as Barry sucks him off expertly. He leaves a long scratch on Barry’s shoulder, vaguely thinking they’ll both have scratches and bruises to show for this encounter.

‘Barry,’ he warns, ‘I’m going to –’ The Captain only takes him in deeper in response.

‘Oh god, do you swallow?’

_Of course he bloody does._

‘Fuck,’ Julian sighs once Barry’s crawled into his arms, ‘You’re incredible.’

‘Stay a while.’ Barry breathes the words into Julian’s naked shoulder.

‘We’re on a ship, where am I gonna go?’ Barry laughs softly. ‘No, I mean it. I’ll take you home to England, if that’s what you want. Or you could stay, and I’ll show you the world.’

Julian stares at him, deeply uncertain. ‘I –’

‘Think about it. You could still do your research. I’ll take you wherever you want to go. What have you got to go back for?’

‘Your men won’t accept me.’ Barry smiles, sensing he’s on the winning hand.

‘You’re under my protection. They won’t lay a finger on you, trust me. Anyway, my crew hasn’t seen a doctor for years. Fix some of them up, you’ll be their hero.’ Barry leans up to kiss Julian softly. Julian’s eyes are shining with a cautious happiness when he says, ‘I’ll sleep on it.’

 

*

 

_Dear Emma,_

_I know you were expecting me home by now, but the circumstances changed. I have decided to explore a different life. I hope you will forgive me. I promise to return to you one day. Be safe._

_Always your loving brother,_

_Julian_


End file.
